Tone-control device for talking-machines



w. H. ums/mn F. E. Joss.` TONE CONlfFiOzLJ.DEVICE- FOR TALKING MACHINES.

Pme-AUM mtu mM/9, 191s.

- Ptentd Sept. 16

' UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrron WILLIAM 1I, DAVIS, or BItON'xvILLIi ANDImEDRIC'K E. Joss, or BROOKLYN, New YORK, AssIGNoBs To LEKTOPHONECORPORATION, A' comOnaTIoN or DELAWARE,

TOim-coirrnoIt DEVICE Foa TALKINGMAGHINES. I

To Iall lwhom; itl-may concern.'

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. DAvIs and FREDRTGK E. Joss, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at, respectively,-

Bronx'ville, county of Westchester, State of New York, and borough ofBrooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and usful Improvements in Tone-Control Devices forTalking-Machines; and we do hereby decl-are the following to be a full,clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tone control devices for talking machines, andin particular for talking machines of the so-called Hopkins type,wherein the vibrations of the stylus are transmitted =by a connectingde# vice to a coni-cal diaphragm of large area,

the connecting device comprising a rod oranalOgOUs element and a. stylusholder. The

diaphragm referred to is freely exposed-to unconiined air and is soconstructed and arranged as to take the place of the usual sound-looxand of its associated horn orvsimir lar amplifier.

In instruments of the character stated, the diaphragm is carried by a.supporting bar, which is mounted to swing across the record and isprovided with abore that eX- tends from end to end thereof; said bore=receivin Ithe vibration transmission connections, the rod element ofwhich is joined at its rear end to the apex of the diaphragm and at itsfrontend to the stylus holder, the latter being ful'crumed on the frontend of -the aforesaid barl and dis'- pos'ed `partlyr` within the same.It follows, therefore,v that ,the stylus, in' traveling alon a' phonicline, will impart to the diap n'agm vibrations corresponding to thoserecorded in said line, so that the intensity of the vibrations ofthediaphragm `is dependent upon that of the vibrations passing'through-orset up in the transmis- 'sion connection. Conso uently, 1f some meansbef provided where y the vibrations' of the transmission connection candamped( thevibrations of the diaphragm,

and, hence, the tone of the instrument will be correspondingly affected,and will be diminished or increased according as the dampspecmcaun orLetters raient. 'Patented'Sepn 16, 1919.'r 'Application led May 9, 1918.Serial No. 233,467. i l

ing action exerted upon the transmission con nection is increased ordecreased.

The presentinventionaims, therefore, to provide an effective means ordevice for act# lng upon the transmission connection in the mannerindicated, such action being obtained, according to the illustratedembodiment of the invention, by disposing .a pair of jaws on` oppositesides of the said connection so as to grip the latter when moved ,towardeach other, the operation of the jaws being produced by 'a device, which-is rotatably mounted upon the support.

The accompanying drawing represents one form which the invention maytake in practice; but it is to be understood that no limitation to thelrecise structural details thereof is intende nor to be imposed sincemodifications of and` changes in such dis-' closure may obviously-'bemade without departing from the scopeof the invention' as subsequentlyclaimed.,

In said drawing:

Figures 1 and-2 are, respectively, a vertical and a horizontalvfragmental longitudinal sectionalview showing the application of theinventiontc the suppoiting bar of a `IsIopkins-type machine.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken on line.l

or bar which is mounted to move across the record or its equivalent andis provided with a Vbore 11 that extends through it from end to end. Thebore 11 receives'the transmis- 4 sion rod 12, which, as previouslystated, forms onerelement of the transmissionconnection, the latter alsocomprising the stylus holder 13. The rod 12,'as usual' in Hopkinsmachines, projectsbeyond the ends of the. bore 11# and is connected atits rear end to" the apex of the conical diaphragm,`,(not shown), and atits frontend to the sty'lus holder 13, the said holder being oonne'ed, v

in.turn, Vwith the front4 end of thev through the intermediary ofa leaf,spring' l14.' None-of'these featnresforins any 'part- 'scripti'onthereof" are i bm'tted,

ltprovides a resilient mountingfor .the

stylus holder, and 'that the vibrations ofthe v stylus carried by theholder are transmitted. from Vthe holder through tlie od 12 ,to the apexof the diaphragm in a manner .to move.

the entire conical portion ofthe latter bodily.

Theleaf spring may be mounted in the rod end in an desired capable o ad'listinen varyin thev e ective length of 'its exposed mdf-phat is, theportion of the spring between the bar end and the stylus holder.-

' The tone controldevice is carried by the supportiii bar 1 0, and, inthe constrution.

jay but is preferably lor the. purpose of in andis protected by a sleeve2 8, fixed on said supporting ba'r, the said sleeve 27 loe- Y ing heldagainst lateral movement in one d irection b y a circumferential flange29' provided on the bar and engaging a shoulder 30 formed by thereduction of the toothed end'26, and inthe other direction by a secondfixed sleeve 31 onu' said bar. The arrangement is suoli, therefore; thatrotation the diaphragm will be damped, and. the tone' illustrate isdisposed within a transversewsof the .instrument will be decreased orsofi.

recess' or,chamber 15 which intersects .the bore l11 ofthe. bar, asrepresented in Figs. as-

at opposite sides of 'the transmission rod 12 and are movable toward andfrom each other so as to grip or release said rod. The jaws proper areindicated at 17, and are 'shown as integral arts of these T-shapedmeinbers,. one of w ich is depicted in Fig. 5, the base` pieces 18 ofsaid inembersliaving reverselythreaded, central openings 19, throughwhich passes an adjusting screw 20, formed" witl1 left-andnriglitshandAthreads, so that rotation of thescrewin one direction o r the.other-will cause' the aforesaid jaws t6 appreach orrecede from eachother. During this movement, rotation of tliejaws is prevented in somesuitable way, for example,

by means of transverse guides 21, which pass through openings -22locatedin the bases 18 of the jaws at`opposite' sides of the screwopenings19,thesrew, and guides being supported at their ends in'the'topand bottomV walls of therecess 15. Each of thejaws proper isprovidedwith acover 23, (Fig.

6), which l1s preferably constructed-o felt, itmay'be made of leather orother. suita le material capable of damping the vibratonsofthe rod 12;these covers or facings beinsecured in place by screws or the. like whicpasstlnough metal s ideplates disposed ag inst the vup-turned sideportions of sa' id.covers.,l

As will'be understood from the foregoing,

the movement .of the j aws 16 is effected by the. rotation of theadlusting'screw 20. To

produce such'rotation, there is provided on one en d of the screw agear'25`, the latter meshing, in the present instance, withA an.-toothed end l.26 ofthis'sleeve 27 extendswlshg annular row of gearteeth 26 formed on'the reduced inner end. of a sleeve 27, which roitatably cncircles the supporting bar 10. The

are arranged tened, 'the extent of such decrease dependpeded, andthetone w'ill increase in lou'dness until the maximurn'ls reached;

.. liurther'description of the invention and its inode of operation isbelievedto be unnecessary, and is, accordingly,omit-ted..y

v1. The combination, with a tubular support, and a vibrationtransmission connec-` tion disposed therewithin; of a tone controldevice witliinsaid support operative upon Vsaid transmission connectionto damp its'vibrations.

' 2; 'The combination, with a tubular support, and a vibrationtransmission connec'- tion disposed therewithin; ot' means within said'support to damp the vibrations of said -port, 'aiid a vibrationtransmission connection disppscd therewithin; of-a gripping devicelocated .interiorly of said support to damp' the' vibrations of saidtransmission connections; and'me'ans for operating said gripping device.

5. The combination. with a tubular su portfaiida vibration transmissionoiinection disposed therewithi'n; of a gripping. device.. .locatedinteriorly 'of 4sa'id'support te damp the vibrations of saidtransmission' connection; and means'rotatably mounted.

on said support for Operating Said gripping device.

V6. The oombination5-with1a tubular sup-' tions of sad'transml'ssionconnection; land af rotatable memberenclreling said support and'eonnectedfto operate said" damping means.

'. The combination, with a tubular support, and avibration-transmissionconnection jaws iocated Within said support tolengage said transmissionconnection from. opposite sides thereof 'todamp its vibrations; and

m eans for, operatingv said jaws.

port, and a vvibration transmission connection disposed therewltlnn; ofa pa1r of' clamping j a'ws located within said support to engage saidtransmissionconnection from opposite sides -'thereof to damp itsvibrations; and means rotatably mounted on the exterior of saidsupportto operate said clamping jaws.

The combination, with a tu'blar support., and a vibration transmissionconnection disposed therewithjn; ofy a pair ofv elan-:ping jaws locatedwit-hin said support at opposite sides of. said transmission connec tionto engage the same and thereby damp its vibrations; anyadjusting screwin said support on which said jaws are mounted; and :means forrotatingsaid serew.

l0. The combination, with a tubular support. vand a vibrationtransmission connec- '-nect its' vibrations; an adjusting screw to whiesaid Jaws are connected; a gear fixed to said elaniping jaws locatedwithin said support atopposite'sides 'of said transmissionoonionto'engage the same and thereby dam screw; anda toothed member on said'supi' port engaging said gear to rotate the same.

11.V The combination, with 'a tubular suplng jawslocated Within-saidsupport at opposite sides 'of said transmission connection i to engagethe' same and-thereby damp its v1- disposed therewlthm; of apair'oclamping' brations; an adjusting screwto which `said aws are connected;a gear.. fxed 'to said sereni; and' a sleeve rotatably fitted on .said--support and having an annularl row, of gear teeth engaging said gearto' rotate the same. S. Thefcoinbination, witha tubular supa Vibrationtransmissionconneetioncarriedport, and.' a .vibration transmissionconneetiondisposed therewithin; of a pair of clampthereby;- of 'apair of- T-shaped clamping jaws engageable with said transmission connectionfrom'opposite sides thereof to damp 4its vibrations; an adjusting screwthreaded through'- the bases of said jaws to more thelatter 1n unison;means for rotating said screw; and guide means extending through saidbases to hold the j' Ws against rotation during their-movement;-

13. The-combination; with a tubular supten'ding therethrough; 'of meansdisposed' interiorly of said 'support for engagement with said rod todamp its vibrations; land means for adj-ustin,g"-said damping means.

' WILLIAM H. DAVIS.

FREDRICK E. Joss.

port,.an'd a vibration transmission rod ex

